[495] The "seven viscounts"--often referred to about this period--were the viscounts of Bourniquet, Monclar, Paulin, Caumont, Serignan, Rapin, and Montagut, or Montaigu. They headed the Protestant gentry of the provinces Rouergue, Quercy, etc., as far as to the foot of the Pyrenees. Mouvans held an analogous position in Provence, Montbrun in Dauphine, and D'Acier, younger brother of Crussol, in Languedoc. Agrippa d'Aubigne, i. 220, 221; De Thou, iv. 33; Duc d'Aumale, Princes de Conde, i. 327. When "the viscounts" consented, at the earnest solicitation of the second Princess of Conde, to part with a great part of their troops, they confided them to Mouvans, Rapin, and Poncenac. [496] The _village_ of Cognac, or Cognat, near Gannat, in the ancient Province of Auvergne (present Department of Allier), must not, of course, be confounded with the important _city_ of the same name, on the river Charente, nearly two hundred miles further west. [497] Jean de Serres, iii. 146, 147; De Thou, iv. 48-51; Agrippa d'Aubigne, i. 226. [498] Opinions differed respecting the propriety of the movement. According to La Noue, Chartres in the hands of the Huguenots would have been a "thorn in the foot of the Parisians;" while Agrippa d'Aubigne makes it "a city of little importance, as it was neither at a river crossing, nor a sea-port;" "but," he adds, "in those times places were not estimated by the standard now in vogue." [499] "Car encore que les Catholiques estiment les Huguenots estre _gens a feu_, si sont-il toujours mal pourveus de tels instrumens," etc. Mem. de la Noue, c. xviii. For the siege of Chartres, besides La Noue, see Jean de Serres, iii. 148; De Thou, iv., 51-53; Agrippa d'Aubigne, i. 229-232. [500] "Ils eussent este par trop lourds et stupides, s'ils n'en eussent evite la feste." [501] "Cessons donc de nous esbahir s'ils ont un pied en l'air et l'oeil en la campagne." [502] The whole of this remarkable memorial is inserted in the older Collection universelle de memoires, xlv. 224-260. Its importance is so great, as reflecting the views of a mind so impartial and liberal as that of Chancellor L'Hospital, that I make no apology for the prominence I have given to it. Besides the omission of much that might be interesting, I have in places rather recapitulated than translated literally the striking remarks of the original. [503] La Noue, c. xviii. [504] Castelnau, who was behind the scenes, assures us that had "the Huguenots insisted upon keeping some places in their own hands, for the performance of what was promised, it would have been granted, and, in all probability, have prevented the war from breaking out so soon again," etc. Mem., liv. vi., c. 11. [505] Jean de Serres, iii. 149-154; De Thou, iv. 54, 55; Davila, bk. iv. 124; Castelnau, _ubi supra_; Agrippa d'Aubigne, i. 260, etc.